


you break her fall

by fictorium



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU where it's Cat on the plane and not Alex, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-16 13:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20823293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictorium/pseuds/fictorium
Summary: AU where it's Cat on the plane and not Alex. Carter is there too, and Kara has to act fast. Some other things change too, a sort of pilot reboot.This potentially could be added to, but y'know. 900 WIPs, not much time ;)





	1. Chapter 1

“You’re downsizing the _Tribune_?” Kara asked, unable to hide her shock. “But that was your first acquisition.”

Cat kept her head down, reading whatever had caught her attention. Using a tiny blast of superspeed, Kara sent an emailing cancelling the therapist appointment as requested. 

“Go see if the new art director has the layout ready.”

Kara knew better, she should have turned and left without complaint. But the _Tribune_ was a huge part of CatCo. What if the whole company was in trouble and Kara just didn’t know it yet?

“It’s not that I don’t see your frown, it’s just that I don’t care enough to ask why it’s there,” Cat continued, barely glancing up at Kara. She looked as composed as ever in her blue-and-black dress, so signs of sleeplessness or exceptional stress. Kara was perfectly aware of every red flag by that point. 

“All those people, they’re going to lose their jobs. What’s going to happen to them, to their families?” Kara still had time to back down, but she couldn’t resist the nuclear option. “They don’t have to downsize at the _Daily Planet_.”

That did it. Cat was off and ranting about Metropolis. Sometimes Kara wanted to blurt out that not only did she know Superman, but she was actually his cousin, and oh by the way? Lois Lane’s corny boyfriend? Totally his human alter ego. The temptation was as strong some days as Kara’s desire to eat peanut butter cups, which frankly made it a miracle she hadn’t blown the whole thing just to shut Cat up on one of her worst days. 

“You want to save the _Trib?_ Go find me a hero, Kiera.” The mangled pronunciation barely bothered Kara anymore, but she saw the opportunity to get out of there before she said something inappropriate. 

“I’ll go chase the new art director,” she said. “And Ms Grant, please don’t forget your car will be downstairs at 7, and the runway time is booked for 8. The pilot specifically requested--”

“The pilot works for me, and I’ll be there when I decide I’m ready,” Cat replied. “Now those layouts aren’t going to fetch themselves. Chop, chop.”

_Just a few more hours_, Kara told herself as she tried not to rush to the stairwell. Then Cat would be off to her media conference in Geneva, and Kara would have the rarest thing of her entire CatCo career: an entire three-day weekend without having to run around after Cat Grant. 

“How are you celebrating your weekend of freedom?” Winn asked as soon as Kara returned and handed off the layouts to Cat. “Only I was thinking that tonight--”

“I have a date,” Kara said, cutting him off. She tried to sound excited, but it was honestly just another dating app match she didn’t have a good feeling about. “That reminds me, I should call my sister. I need to borrow something to wear.”

***

Kara sat alone at the table, watching her date hit on the hostess over at the door. Another crash and burn. He hadn’t even asked her any questions, other than where she was from. Hardly scintillating stuff. Kara was aware she didn’t show herself off like some of the supermodel types who seemed to be populating that bar, but she thought she looked pretty decent most of the time. Like Alex said, she couldn’t even get pimples. So much for a genetic advantage. 

Instead of waiting to see if her date would even bother to come back for her, Kara turned her attention to the television screens above the bar. Instead of the usual baseball game or whatever, they all flipped to CCN. Figured she couldn’t get a break from all things CatCo even on her time off. 

The sound was almost all the way down, but Kara was able to pick it out of the general hubbub with her superhearing. The screens changed to a shot of vast, dark skies over the Otto Binder Bridge. It didn’t seem like there was traffic, so why was a live broadcast unit there? If someone had screwed up again, that would be the start of Kara’s week completely thrown into disarray.

“We have reports a private plane has been experiencing difficulties since shortly after takeoff from Wayne Private Airfield. Social media updates suggest there was some kind of explosion, and we’re getting… yes, I can confirm that the jet in question is the CatCo Jet. No reports at this time as to who might be on board.”

Kara felt her stomach do a strange somersault. It felt almost like when she was a kid on Krypton, when she could actually get sick. Cat was on that jet. Cat, her pilot who wanted her to be punctual, and worst of all, Cat’s teenage son, Carter. 

It wasn’t really a choice in that moment. Kara stood, taking off the jacket she hadn’t bothered to remove up until that point. Slipping out into the alley felt as natural as breathing. A long, deserted space where she could build up a head of steam. Getting her bearings, she took a running start.

Nope. Nothing. An enthusiastic bounce that took out a trash can with her trailing leg._ Focus_, Kara told herself. Focus and remember how it felt to fly. 

Her second attempt caught perfectly, and she whipped through the cool evening air towards the bridge like a missile. The closer she got, the more apparent Cat’s plane was. Listing badly to one side, one engine clearly was engulfed with flames. On a huge jet that would be terrifying enough, but Kara felt a fresh surge of panic at how close that was to the compact body of the private plane. 

The worst part of getting closer though? That she didn’t hear screaming. She had heard what she assumed was Cat screaming from a few hundred yards away but now, under the shrieking engines and protesting metal, audible even under the rushing winds and the sounds of the city, Kara could only hear a gentle humming sound.

A lullaby. 

With her glasses tucked away in her pocket, Kara could relax her eyes and scan the plane to confirm exactly who she had to rescue. Time was ticking. The plane was getting closer to the towers on the bridge with each weakening attempt to clear them. She saw the pilot and co-pilot, yelling into radios and wrestling with the controls. They were doing all they could. 

The cabin crew were strapped into their seats, two young women who no doubt thought they’d landed the route of a lifetime, hopping around the globe with a billionaire media mogul. But the main cabin had only two occupants: Cat, out of her seat and kneeling on the floor in front of Carter, shielding his braced form with her own. 

“Just hold on, sweetheart,” Cat murmured, interrupting the comfort of her lullaby just as Kara’s hand first touched the straining metal of the plane’s hold. “Someone will come to our rescue. And if not, you remember the safety drill, don’t you?”

Kara didn’t hear if Carter replied. The plane took a dangerous lurch lower. They were out of time. Where to get a grip seemed impossible to tell, so Kara improvised. She punched with one hand and then the other into the underbelly of the plane, levelling it off.

Step one. Now to slow the damn thing down. Not easy when her own speed outstripped it by at least three or four times, but Kara took the bucking, breaking plane and slowed it to more of a glide. The pilots whooped in relief, and she started steering it down towards the huge park by the bridge. The few onlookers saw the plane tilt towards them and started to scatter. They’d made room to bring it down safe. 

“What’s happening?” Carter asked, and for once Cat didn’t seem to have a snappy answer for the occasion. She didn’t say another word until Kara laid the plane on the wet grass in Binder Park, pulling herself up on the undamaged wing to catch her breath for a moment. Her first mistake. It gave Cat a clear sightline right to her. 

“Mom! There’s someone out there! Is that… did a _girl_ just catch our plane?”

Cat started to knock on the window with the palm of her hand. She clearly didn’t expect anyone outside to be able to hear her. “Hello! Who are you? Can we get this door open?” She yelled that last part to the cabin crew, who ran to comply in a panic. Kara couldn’t allow a closer look. Breath caught or not, she needed to get the hell away from that plane. Then Cat caught her eye again and Kara could have sworn she saw a split-second of recognition.

Alex was going to _kill_ her. 


	2. Chapter 2

Kara didn’t need x-ray vision to know that Alex was already at the apartment waiting for her. As a Lab Director with the FBI, Alex had the facility to flash the cop car lights and a driving style that found red lights and speed limits more of a suggestion as a rule. She was the second-fastest person in National City after Kara most of the time.

“How did you--” Kara began, but Alex held up her keys.

“You didn’t think I’d give you this sweet rent-controlled place without at least keeping my own key, did you? Although given what I saw on the news tonight, not thinking seems to be really in right now.”

“Alex, come on. She’s my boss! Was I supposed to just watch Cat and her _kid_ blow up? Or drown? I had the power to stop all of those bad things happening. And lately, I’ve been feeling like… like maybe I _want_ to help, like Kal-El does.”

“Helping is one thing. It’s making sure old ladies get across the street, maybe cheating a little to get a cat out of a tree when no one’s around to see you float instead of climb the last part. It is _not_ catching planes in prime time, Kara. Come on, we’ve talked about this. What do you think Mom will say when she catches the national news, huh?”

“Low blow,” Kara complained, but her shoulders slumped at the thought of Eliza and her disappointment. “And once she gets over the whole… you know, exposing my secret thing, she’ll see that I did a good thing! I saved not just Cat, but the four people working on the plane, and a teenage boy! That’s six people on my first save, Alex!”

“I know, but…”

“Why can’t you be happy for me?” Kara snapped. “You don’t seriously think I’d do this just for the attention, just for… for....”

In response, Alex picked up the remote and turned the television. CatCo News Network popped back to life, the first and last channel Kara watched every day.

And there was Cat, larger than life and looking almost completely unruffled aside from the white-knuckled grip she had on Carter’s shoulder where he was wrapped in a foil blanket at her side. 

“No, Karen, it wasn’t Superman who plucked my jet from the sky like a frisbee and brought it safely to land. There was no blue, no red. But while for once I didn’t land the exclusive there and then, I did see the _woman_ who seems to be auditioning for the vacancy of National City’s personal superhero.”

“Cat, live and exclusive on CatCo News Network, can you tell the people of National City… did you recognize her? Is this flying woman someone we know?”

Cat looked straight down the camera like the barrel of a gun, and Kara had never felt less bulletproof. 

“Do _you_ know her? Hmm, no. I’d say this… Super… girl has been hiding in plain sight for a while now. Right under our noses, you could say. Even if I could name her, well, that’s not my decision to take. Let’s just say when she does come out, well, I will be instrumental in the process.”

There was a moment’s hesitation before the next question, prompting an irritated glare from Cat to Karen, who was probably wishing she’d never applied to be on-screen talent in the first place. 

“What, uh, what makes you think that?”

“A hundred terrible things happen every day in this city,” Cat replied, her face filling the screen again, cutting Carter out of the frame entirely. “And yet in my one hour of need, she flew right to me. That girl knows power when she sees it. If she wants to break this story, there’s only one journalist worth talking to. Now, I need to get my son home. Let’s take this back to the studio, shall we?”

The feed did exactly as Cat instructed, and Alex pressed the mute button as the talking heads at CatCo Plaza continued to cover the footage of Kara’s rescue mission.

“So…” Kara began, fumbling for any kind of positive spin.

“Looks like it’s a little late to plant a better story with the Queen of all Media,” Alex said. “Because I’d bet my surfboard that she recognized you. Oh Kara,” she added, dropping the remote and her bad mood at the same time as she came over for a hug. “What are we going to do?”

“We should probably talk to Mom,” Alex suggested. “One way or another she’s going to know about this by morning.”

“You’re right. And whatever I decide--and it has to be my decision, Alex--I want to at least respect what you’ve all risked all these years to keep me safe.”

“That sounds a bit like you know what you want to do already.” Alex didn’t seem mad, more sort of resigned. “Should have known that crush on Cat Grant would come back to bite us on the ass at some point.”

“I do _not_\--”

“Kara. Please. You talk about her more than you talk about yourself. I know a crush when I see one, and now she has your secret in the palm of her hand. You know, I can’t promise anything, but maybe if the FBI were to show up and warn her off…”

“Alex!” Kara had retreated to the sofa, but she shot up so suddenly in her indignation that she bumped her head off the ceiling, showering plaster dust down on them both. “You can’t do that! Plus, this is Cat Grant. If you threaten her, she’ll make it her life’s mission to do exactly what you just warned her off.”

Kara’s cell phone rang then, shattering the uneasy silence between the sisters. She could barely bring herself to look at the screen, but the relief was palpable for a moment when she realized it wasn’t Cat calling. It was Eliza instead, so any real hope of a reprieve was already over. 

“Time to face the music,” Alex said, nodding at the phone. She was right; Kara needed to get it over with. 

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the call. “Hey Eliza…”

***

Monday morning came around much, much too soon. So soon that Kara was tempted to call her cousin and ask him to explain one more time how he’d been able to turn back the clock on a whole planet.

Nothing in her wardrobe seemed like the right choice. Kara looked at every demure cardigan and button-down shirt with growing frustration, discarding every option that even came close to the colors she’d been wearing during the plane save on Friday night. The only viable outfit seemed to be the one that had lurked at the end of the rail since she bought it on a whim after a day of particularly pointed clothing insults from Cat. 

It wasn’t so different, not really. Sure the fit was skin tight, but Kara had worn well-fitted things to work before. It just wasn’t her usual palette, in black with vibrant green and pink stripes. Then when she reluctantly put it on, she remembered the split across the midriff, which thankfully could be pulled closed over her flat abs. She’d have to monitor it all day though. To add insult to injury, none of her comfortable flats looked right with the length of the skirt, so she had to slip on the black heels she usually only wore for interviews or ill-fated dates. 

Still, by the time she stepped off the elevator on the fortieth floor, Kara realized that changing her look was almost as good as armor. No one seemed to recognize her at first, with her hair pinned up like she’d seen in a magazine, and her darkest framed-glasses firmly in place. Kara had skipped wearing them sometimes as she’d gotten used to controlling her powers without the lead, letting them give her an edge in overhearing or seeing through walls to get ahead in her job. Now she’d have to wear them every day, all the better to make sure Cat never saw her bare face ever again. 

The sound of the elevator starting up in the parking garage was usually Kara’s first official warning, but she barely heard it over her own pounding heart and churning stomach. Maybe quitting by phone was actually the way to go? After almost two years working for Cat Grant, Kara knew she had her pick of jobs, no questions asked. Only that would probably look even more suspicious, so toughing it out at CatCo like nothing ever happened was the only real option. 

The elevator seemed to take a small lifetime to climb its usual forty floors, and even Winn had torn himself away from some complicated code long enough to notice Kara was agitated. 

“If you’re worried she won’t like your outfit, don’t be. That is the most fashionable I’ve ever seen you, Kara.”

“I’m not… you know what? I don’t have time for Winn’s super gay fashion blog right now,” Kara replied, teasing her best friend. “Has the new art director arrived yet?”

“Nothing doing on the group chat, no,” Winn told her. “I hope he’s hot though. I’m so bored of only having Dave to look at.”

“He--”

Kara was interrupted by the round of applause that greeted Cat’s emergence from the elevator doors. How had all those people gathered so quickly without Kara noticing? She really was off her game. Cat just took the clapping in stride until she was almost at the door of her office. Then she paused, turning on her heel as she yanked off her oversized sunglasses and addressed the gathered throng. 

“Yes, yes, I’m sure you’re all very glad I’m alive. Even you, Steve. But you can save your adulation for when I break the Supergirl story. That will be all _my_ achievement, unlike playing catch with a Learjet, which is really all hers.”

With that she strode on into her office, calling out _Keira_ as she went. It took Kara a full second to process and react. 

“Su-super_girl_?”

“Are you asking if I’m her?” Cat said, sitting in her desk chair and kicking off her heels. “Because while I’m exceptional, I’m yet to actually take flight. Never mind be inside and outside of a plane at the same time.”

“No… I wasn’t… I mean… didn’t you even consider Superwoman? This isn’t official yet, is it?”

Kara had no idea how someone even went about making something like that official. She had seen “super girl” popping up in plenty of the weekend coverage as a quote from Cat, but didn’t think the name would actually catch on. 

“Why, Keira.” Cat looked up at her while grabbing a pair of reading glasses. “You seem overly bothered about the naming of a woman who can fly and play softball with planes. Any particular reason?”

“I… well, for feminist reasons!” Kara managed to sputter, hands on her hips. “You do _not_ want another Twitter backlash like the time you said that Lois was a--”

“Right, right.” Cat dismissed her with a wave. “I’ll be putting the word out on all our channels, have the IT gremlin set up a dedicated contact page, email, whatever… it’s important that we know what National City knows about this person.”

“What… why?”

“Because, Keira, for presumably very good reason this woman has kept her powers and her identity a secret. That means she might be at risk in some way. When she inevitably seeks me out, I want to be able to warn her or reassure her, depending on if anyone already knows who she is.”

Kara turned to leave, to give Winn his instructions and thank her stars she seemed to have escaped Cat’s scrutiny at least for a while. But something just kept nagging at her.

“Ms Grant?”

“Yes?”

“Everything you’re doing… this isn’t just about the story, is it? I mean, I know you like to fire me for speculating about your emotional state--seven times and counting!--but it almost seems like you care what happens to this person.”

“Care?” Cat gives a little snort. “I assure you, Keira, that my investment here is a purely business one. National City gets a hero, people start turning to the media for every scrap of information. They want to know if they’ll be saved when disaster strikes, mostly. But they also want to know how someone so extraordinary could hide in plain sight. Gives them hope that one day they’ll achieve some unknown potential. Even though most of them never will.”

Deflated, Kara moved off again with a sigh.

“But…” Cat always could hold Kara in place with a single word. “She did save me. There’s no forgetting that. She saved my son, too. That’s a debt no mother can ever repay. So yes, if super whoever wants my help, she’ll have it. And the only cost will be exclusivity to CatCo Worldwide Media. If she talks to the Planet, all bets are off.”

“I’ll go get those contact options running,” Kara replied, and something of the boulder in her chest felt lighter. A weekend of talking with Alex and Eliza had prepared her for what she wanted to do, but it would have to wait a little longer.

***

“Hey,” Kara said, knocking gently on the glass door of the Art Director’s office. She’d missed him on Friday, he’d already come up to meet with Cat while Kara had been looking for him. And spending thirty minutes on the phone with Alex pleading for some date outfit options. “I just wanted to see if you’re settling in okay.”

“Oh, hi there,” the man behind the desk looked up from some proofs he’d been circling. “You must be the famous Kara Danvers. I’m James Olsen.”

“Famous?” Kara scoffed, but it came with a new jolt of panic. “I doubt that. Only one of us in this room has a Pulitzer, Mr Olsen.”

“It’s James. And actually I have two, but that couldn’t matter less. It’s nice to meet you, though. Does Cat need something? She seemed pretty happy on Friday, but I guess a near-death experience can change a person’s mind about cover shot choices.”

“No, I’m just… keeping out of her way I guess? Sometimes the big boss having glass walls is… you know. Especially when your desk is right on the other side of them. You worked at the Planet?” Kara stopped dead on seeing the framed front page with the James Olsen photo credit.

“Yeah, I came up there. But it was starting to feel like I wasn’t going to go any further. I talked to Perry White about it, but he didn’t want to lose me as a photojournalist. Then Cat sort of swooped in and made an offer. Here I am…”

“Great. No really, that’s great. I actually know someone who works at the Planet. My cousin, actually?”

“Oh cool, would I know him?”

“Clark Kent,” Kara said carefully, sure that her secret must be running along her forehead like a news ticker by that point. “He’s uh, a reporter, so you probably crossed paths.”

“Right, I know who you mean. We worked together a few times but nothing close. He uh, he’s dating my ex-girlfriend’s sister, actually. But the Lane girls aren’t close, either. So not much crossover.”

Kara heaved a sigh of relief. Someone arriving from Metropolis on the same day she’d decided to out herself as a Kryptonian, at least partly, would have been too great a coincidence. The last thing she wanted while she figured all this out was someone who knew Kal trying to tell her how to do it exactly like him. Kara had every sympathy for the way Kal had been forced to navigate his powers and responsibilities as the only one with that capability. Still, looking back over his earliest press stories, she had to admit that there were many things she’d do differently. 

“Well, anything you need just let me know,” Kara said. “Especially when it comes to Ms Grant. I’m kind of the resident expert there.”

“Right, the Cat Whisperer. Gotcha. Actually, she left me a message earlier asking about similarities between Superman and this girl from Friday. I don’t… let’s just say I left Metropolis to carve my own path, not just follow a hero around again. Can you tell her the only similarity is that they both chose to save planes for their first public act of heroism? That’s all I got.”

“You don’t want to tell her yourself?”

James made a face. “Like I said, fresh start. I don’t want to become the Superpedia, you know?”

“I get it,” Kara said. “I’ll… go tell Cat now, I suppose. She’ll want to know.”

Great. Back under Cat’s nose, and bringing up the last topic Kara wanted to discuss. Was she ever going to catch a break?


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Kara got back to her desk, Cat had been called away to some emergency board meeting. Kara heard her grumbling from the car about how other companies would have asked if she was okay instead of hauling her in to make sure she wasn’t carrying any lingering damage to the stock prices. It was a little cynical, when Cat said it like that. Kara realized she hadn’t asked herself if Cat was okay--or Carter, which was even more unforgivable. Was she giving herself away by already knowing the answer?

Winn distracted her by suggesting a game of air hockey in the breakroom, but Kara took the opportunity to tell her first non-family member the truth about her Friday night antics. Winn’s face journey had been worthy of a Tumblr gif post, but neither of them had the presence of mind to video it. 

“So are you… I mean, was it a one-night deal?” Winn asked. “Because if you’re going to go out there and do it for real, we have so much to work on. Your clothes, for a start. This is a change today, but not enough that people couldn’t picture you here at CatCo. How do you feel about leather?”

“Keira? Wearing leather?” Cat had appeared out of nowhere. If Kara didn’t know better she’d swear the woman had super speed. Or super stealth. “Let’s be realistic, Window. Though if you can talk her into it, you’re a better man than me.”

“Ms Grant, I was just--”

“Talking about Game of Thrones or something else tedious, I know. You two should get back to your desks while I’m still in too good a mood to fire anyone.”

They did exactly that, trotting along as Cat’s heels clicked behind them. It felt like being marched to the principal’s office, and Kara didn’t care for it one bit. Twenty minutes later, Winn sent Kara his first mockup of a suit, one that was more bikini than boilersuit. She pinched the bridge of her nose and made a decision. If she was going to be a superhero, she would need all the help she could get. 

She opened Cat’s calendar for the hundredth time that day, cancelling off her 6pm meeting and emailing the lucky department head who’d get more time at home with her kids that evening. Taking a deep breath, Kara hesitated with her fingers over the keyboard. Now or never. 

In the 6pm slot she carefully typed MEETING - “SUPER” GIRL and set the location to Cat’s office. With no small amount of trepidation, she saved the appointment and waited for Cat to notice the change. 

***

Kara checked her watch as she stood on the helipad atop CatCo’s building. One minute to go. Cat would surely look at her calendar and notice by this point. Nope. Instead, Kara heard Cat some floors below bellowing _Keira! Where’s my 6 o’clock?_ Had she even noticed Kara wasn’t at her desk?

Oh well. No time to worry about that now. Glasses off, hair down. Kara had flown home in seconds to retrieve the plainest clothes she owned - plain black workout gear that Alex had loaned her one time. The hoodie and the running tights were the definition of nondescript. Under that she kept her necklace on, even though she was sure Cat had glimpsed it once or twice on Kara Danvers. That wouldn’t matter shortly, it was fooling the people outside the office that mattered. Winn had been enlisted to get as many of them out as possible. 

_Keira?_

That was her cue. Flipping backwards off the building with the newfound confidence of recent flying, Kara zipped down the twenty-five stories to her own floor and came to a perfect, hovering stop at Cat’s balcony. 

It didn’t take long for Cat to notice her. There was an awkward moment of standoff as Cat stood behind her desk but came no further. She gestured for Kara to come inside, and the balcony door was open. Had Cat been expecting her all along?

“Ms Grant,” Kara said once she stepped inside. She hadn’t considered how to disguise her voice but it came out deeper, more like her mother and Astra had sounded on Krypton; like a woman in her own right. “I understand you wanted to see me?”

“The door over there is closed,” Cat said, nodding to it. “Do you trust me when I tell you that every audio and video recording device on this floor of the building is not only turned off, but blocked for good measure?”

Kara thought back to how Winn hadn’t met her eye for the last hour of work. Clearly he’d been instructed. 

“I trust you, yes.”

“Then for God’s sakes, Kara, take a seat.”

It hung between them like an invisible bubble, the first breath or motion would burst it. Kara had a lie or two prepared, but she couldn’t quite summon them. She didn’t want to lie to Cat. There was a reason it had taken her peril to stun Kara into action, even though she’d sat on the sidelines for wildfires and earthquakes before. 

“I didn’t have time to disguise myself,” Kara explained, taking a seat on one of the pristine white sofas. “Your plane was in distress, and I only just made it.” She glanced out at the bullpen, not surprised to see the entire space deserted, including Winn’s desk. 

“Then first of all, let me thank you. For me, and for Carter. And for the staff on that flight who didn’t deserve to die either. The FAA will announce tomorrow they’re launching an investigation into the crash. Or, well, near-crash I suppose. Turns out those engines didn’t fail by themselves.”

“What?” Kara bounced up out of her seat, but Cat waved her down again, taking a seat on the couch opposite. She looked so damn good in her tailored dress, a creamy color with a gold pattern that Kara wanted to trace with her fingertips.

“Not the first time, although usually, it’s extortion. They threaten to kill me for some grand principle, and then most of them request to be paid off in the end. Tedious, I can assure you.”

“What are we going to--”

“I have security for that. And the government agencies will do their jobs. In the meantime, you can allow me the distraction of launching you as National City’s new hero. We’ll take a zig-zag approach, I can’t have you looking like a piece of product placement. CatCo will be critical, initially, and then praise your efforts and bring the population around to loving you, treating you as one of their own, all that jazz.”

“That all sounds… I don’t even know if I want to do this,” Kara started to say. “You have to know there are risks for me. And for you, knowing this. Carter doesn’t…”

“No, of course not. I’ve kept bigger secrets than yours, Kara.”

“You’re calling me by my real name,” Kara couldn’t help but point out.

“Is it? Your real name? I assumed you would try to keep that much at least.”

Kara nodded.

“Good,” Cat continued. “Given that you lost your world, presumably… you are from the same place as him? The evidence I pored over at the weekend suggested he was the only one, but that never seemed plausible.”

“We were supposed to arrive together,” Kara confirmed. “Ms Grant, are we off the record?”

“Today, yes. If that ever changes, I’ll ask first.”

“Okay. I was delayed on the way to your planet. My cousin, Superman, he had to grow up here without me.”

“Cousin.” Cat’s eyes lit up at the new exclusive piece of information, even if she wasn’t supposed to use it yet. “That’s interesting.”

“You said before that if I came to you for help, you’d only ask for an exclusive in return?” Kara wanted some groundwork in place.

“No, that Supergirl would speak exclusively to CatCo going forward. The others can have quotes, but all new content will be ours.”

“I really don’t like--”

“Supergirl tested through the roof. Superwoman ran into a lot of issues with men. I have polling, if you want to see it. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with being a girl. I'm a girl. And your boss, and powerful, and rich, and hot and smart.”

“Yes,” Kara replied. “I mean, you are. That’s true.”

“You’re saying you think I’m hot?”

Was Cat Grant flirting with her? If Kara could overheat like humans, she would certainly be doing it in that very moment. 

“Technically, you said it, I was just agreeing.”

“Interesting,” Cat said, leaning forward and peering at Kara like a particularly detailed art exhibit. “Oh, I’ve looked of course. Never more than an idle daydream here and there, since you’re my employee. I’d say the balance of power has shifted somewhat, wouldn’t you? Tell me, Supergirl… which of us would you say is the most powerful woman in National City right now?”

“Still… you?” Kara answered, out of instinct and job preservation first and foremost. “I mean, I don’t even know the full extent of what I can do, yet. I don’t have a costume, an identity, any of the things a hero needs…”

“You’ll have them. I’ll assemble a small, discreet team of specialists. Starting with dear Wilma out there. He’s proven useful already today.”

Kara nodded. It was going to be okay. Cat was taking charge and she’d bring the very best out of Kara, just like she’d done every day for two years. Even when it had seemed hard and dumb and almost impossible, Kara had learned something from each errand and conversation. But maybe Cat was right about the balance of power. Maybe this whole coming out process had made Kara more worthy of someone like Cat. Maybe she had powers not just to fly and shoot lasers, but to take chances beyond anything she’d ever done before.

“Ms Grant?”

“You should call me Cat, with that look in your eye.”

Kara considered a moment, trying it out carefully. “Cat. Yes.”

With that she leaned across the remaining distance between them and kissed Cat squarely on the lips. They felt better than Kara had ever dared imagine.

“”Kara…” Cat moaned softly as the kiss ended. “I was supposed to dissuade you, tell you that life was going to be complicated enough without romance.”

“If I’m going to put myself on the line for National City, I should have something worth coming back from every fight for,” Kara argued, kissing Cat again, more sweetly this time. “Don’t you think?”

“I’m not some prize to be won,” Cat replied, grabbing Kara’s hoodie and pulling her into a much more intense kiss until it made no sense for the coffee table to separate them any longer. Showing off, Kara floated her way across to join Cat on her couch, never breaking their kiss. “But if we’re going to do complicated, we may as well go all out.”

“Cat Grant doesn’t do anything by halves,” Kara reminded her. The sound of sirens nearby jolted her attention. “But I should go and see what that emergency is. People won’t accept me until they see me helping someone other than their resident billionaire media goddess.”

“Leave the titles to me,” Cat said, smirking all the same. “Go, save. Be a hero. But come by my place after ten, once Carter is asleep. We have planning to do.”

“One more kiss,” Kara asked, and got her request almost instantly. Cat kissed her so thoroughly that Kara wondered how she could still walk straight once she got up. “I’ll see you later.”

She headed back to the balcony and took off into the night. Maybe everything really was going to be okay. For a second she thought she heard Cat call after her, but then everything from her office seemed quiet all of a sudden. Shaking it off, Kara flew toward the fire trucks heading downtown. She had a city to help save. 


End file.
